Top 5 Ways how an Indian Marriages is Different from Western marriage

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How Indian Marriage differs from the western world? Apart from the obvious: the long list of guests, the rituals, the duration of the ceremony, clothing and etc, there are other contributing factors that make Indian marriages different. Some of the factors are mentioned below.

Virginity: - In India, a virgin bride is preferred. If a girl has had an intimate relationship before marriage, she is generally looked down upon. Whereas, in the western world, it does seem to concern the couple who is going to be married. They do not tend to indulge in each other’s past or make judgments based on their partner’s past. They focus on future because that is where they are heading.

Divorce rate: - The divorce rate in India is really low if compared with the western world. The reason behind that is marriage in India is not between two people but between two families. Therefore, the pressure is huge on the couple to make their marriage successful. Instead of arguing over little things, they make compromises. Another important point is that the most of the marriages in India are arranged. So the couple does not even know what to expect from their life partner. Everything they do for each other is a surprise. On the other hand, almost all the marriages are love marriages in the western world, so they have an idea of what they are expecting of their partners. When the partners do not stand up to the expectation of each other, they just think of divorce as their only straw to put an end to the whole relationship.

Attitude towards Women: - In India, it is thought that the main purpose of a girl life is to get married, bear kids and wait on her husband hand and foot. However, the attitude towards girls is changing now. Girls tend to finish their education before getting married. Sometimes, you may find that girls are more career-driven than boys. Whereas, in western culture, girls often go for education, pursue a career and only then they start to think about getting married.

Attitude towards Men: Whether it is east or west, a man is always thought to have been the breadwinner of the family. But nowadays, women are doing their best to ease off some burden from their partner’s shoulders by taking full-time or part-time jobs.

Superstition: - Indian marriages are considered pre-determined or made in heaven. Once the parents have chosen a life partner for their son or daughter, the next step is to match their ‘Kundali’. If the ‘Kundali’ does not match, the parents never take it any further. They just blame it on their children’s stars and keep looking until they find the right ‘Kundali’ match, amongst other things. I may add here that the new generation in India is slowly moving away from these old traditions for good. The western culture does not believe in such superstitions. They just follow their hearts. They don’t make the decision to marry someone based on any horoscope, but what their heart says. If it feels right, there is no stopping them.

There are many more factors, for instance, dowry system, caste system, the concept of being ‘Manglik’ and etc that can discuss but the thing is that they only complicate the concept of marriage in India. You might say that the good thing is the divorce rate is really low. It is only low because divorcees are stigmatized in India. No one wants to bear that stigma, especially girls.

Love marriage is not an easy feat if we consider the failures that love seekers could face while courting. From that point of view, arranged marriage could be seen as a safe bet. Besides, your parents carry your best interest in their hearts. Also, if your family life does not go as planned, you could blame the arrangement as such. In case of love marriage, you have to bear the responsibility for the choice you make.

The bottom line, whether it is Love or Arrange marriage, both have one common factor and that is ‘commitment’. There are always ups and downs in every relationship. But if you are truly committed to making it work, you will always find a way to do it. Apart from a true commitment, the ingredients of a successful marriage are personal space, open communication, honesty and most importantly respect your partner and don't take them for granted.